loginState

The loginState permission allows a ChromeOS extension to get the login status of a user.

This is a ChromeOS-only permission. It will have no effect on other operating systems.

What it does

Grants access to the chrome.loginState API.
Allows the extension to determine the current session state for the user.
The possible states include:
- SIGNED_IN: The user is logged into a regular session.
- IN_LOCK_SCREEN: The user's screen is locked.
- IN_LOGIN_SCREEN: The user is at the login screen, not yet signed in.
- IN_OOBE_SCREEN: The user is in the "out-of-box experience" (initial setup).
- And others.
The extension can also listen for changes in the login state.

When to use it

This is for extensions on ChromeOS that need to behave differently based on whether a user is logged in or if the screen is locked.

Examples:

A kiosk app that should only run when no user is signed in.
A security extension that performs an action when the user locks their screen.
A corporate extension that applies different settings depending on the user's session type.

Manifest Declaration

{
  "name": "My ChromeOS Login State App",
  "version": "1.0",
  "manifest_version": 3,
  "permissions": [
    "loginState"
  ]
}

Security & Privacy

Why is it not risky?

This permission (only for ChromeOS) lets an extension know if you are logged in, at the login screen, or if your screen is locked.

It's a safe permission because it doesn't reveal who you are or what you are doing, only the status of the login session. For example, a security extension might use it to perform an action when you lock your screen.

API Usage Example

This example gets the current session state and logs it.

// background.js or other script

async function getSessionState() {
  if (!chrome.loginState) {
    console.log('This API is only available on ChromeOS.');
    return;
  }
  try {
    // Which profile context the extension is running in.
    // Returns 'SIGNIN_PROFILE' (login screen) or 'USER_PROFILE'.
    const profileType = await chrome.loginState.getProfileType();
    console.log(`Profile type: ${profileType}`);

    // The current session state of the device.
    const sessionState = await chrome.loginState.getSessionState();
    console.log(`Session state: ${sessionState}`);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error getting session state:', error);
  }
}

// You can also listen for changes
chrome.loginState.onSessionStateChanged.addListener((newState) => {
  console.log(`Session state changed to: ${newState}`);
});

getSessionState();